Diablo: Devil's Delight
by Jon Repesh
Summary: The Book of Cain foretold the rise of Belial and Azmodan. This is their quest.


Deep within the bowels of Hell lurks a fiendish cast fueled by decadence and driven for power. No depths descend too low to deter that aim. With its shifting realms and shifty demons, sphere and influence await those willing to dare. The eternal conflict can wait. There are deals to be brokered, allies aligned, all in the design of reshaping Hell and its sick spectacle. The Dark Exile gave notice that the Lesser Evils would not be ignored. It is no longer a campaign waged solely among the Primes. Four others joined the fray founding a new dynamic. Two in particular demand notice. Belial and Azmodan commanded the Exile but were embittered by its scant rewards, regarding their prowess ideal for Hellish hegemony. Certainly neither trusts the other, adding angst to the intrigue. Who will assert dominance will be a feat long discussed in the annals of infamy.

"Azmodan, what in Hell's name compelled you to see me?"

"**Hell's eminence is indeed involved, though in a way which serves only us."**

"I grow weary of your machinations. Little changed after the Exile, and we no longer have the advantage of surprise. Do you think I'd risk my station again by colluding with you?"

"**I'm surprised you consider your station so great to embrace the status quo."**

"I assure you I never lack ambition, yet another alliance with one as devious as you is not deemed wise to attaining it."

"**While your candor would get most tongues heartily ripped out, I prefer it to trite platitudes. What matters is results."**

"Results are subjective, if we even seek the same."

"**Your displeasure with your current condition is known, as is mine, thus uniting us in a common cause against distinctly uncommon enemies."**

"We are all enemies of another, making that very statement pointless to ponder."

"**Then ponder this. I've been informed an upheaval is imminent, leaving us particularly worse than before. We can't afford **_**not**_** to consider an alliance."**

"This is nothing new. Subterfuge is the only real constant in this infernal place. Perhaps your deploying it as we speak."

"**Lies are your forte Belial. My deception is more refined."**

"Yet still pretense all the same. You think yourself above my coarse and pedestrian ways, but we're cut from the same cloth, and it reeks of mistrust."

"**Of which we're both proud. So why not apply what we're renowned for to further our aims."**

"You have a plan."

"**One based not only on deceit, but prudent foresight."**

"_Hindsight_ reminds us of past designs doomed to failure."

"**I don't consider the Dark Exile a failure."**

"It merely enabled more players in the game without providing benefit. It's all a crapshoot."

"**Your gambling metaphor is apt, for we now play with house money."**

"What are you referring to?"

"**An ace in the hole by the name of Lilith."**

"Lilith? She was banished after the Purge. No one even knows her location."

"**So everyone thinks. However I've known her whereabouts all along."**

"You've had her hidden."

"**My realm is so dense it was the perfect refuge. Plus we share an affinity."**

"What do you give a damn about the Nephalem?"

"**I don't, only the influence they wielded."**

"And what would you do with that influence?"

"**With their demise that's now a moot point, yet it indirectly leads to my Magnum Opus."**

"Which is?"

"**The restoration of the Worldstone."**

"Are you mad? Tyrael shattered it into a thousand pieces in the horrid Dreadlands."

"**I don't require a history lesson. I'm fully aware of what happened, but more importantly the power it possessed. With the will of Lilith and Inarius it created Sanctuary."**

"Now who's dispensing a history lesson. Yet how does that pertain to your quest?"

"**There are those who can effect its realization, and they reside in Sanctuary."**

"You're proposing the aid of an alchemist."

"**They didn't hesitate to use us when expedient."**

"Sanctuary was declared off limits after the Sin War. We would bring both sides of the eternal conflict down upon us."

"**Not as Lilith as acting envoy. No one knows Sanctuary and its environs like her."**

"Except that would put her at risk as well. Besides why would she help us? She doesn't give a damn about Hell's politics. She created Sanctuary as a means of escaping this whole bloody mess."

"**The disposition of her children still riles. If not for her father and his wretched abuse, it would never have occurred. Revenge is a great incentive."**

"Against Mephisto? But his status is unclear. He was trapped within a soulstone which was then destroyed, expelling him and the others into the Abyss."

"**Do you really believe we've seen the last of him?"**

"No. His ethereal presence will always fester in some form. I would personally relish inflicting exquisite pain upon him for past offense."

"**Everyone in Hell concurs, but we're getting off topic. We must convince Lilith he's plotting a return, and no one is more adept at artifice than you."**

"Such accolades are music to my ears, though Hell forbid you're playing me the fool. My wrath knows no bounds."

"**Enough posturing. I have grander ambitions than enacting trickery upon you. We have a dominion to shape."**

"I take it you two have already conferred."

"**I tendered our support in blocking Mephisto's plan since it clashes with our own, but we need the Worldstone. Of course with her, little prodding is needed. She's always up for a fight."**

"As long as it excludes us. Her might is daunting."

"**Unquestionably. It just needs to be armed and aimed in the right direction. That's your job."**

"Through illusion and allusion?"

"**Remember your motto. Perception is reality." **

"Which can be fashioned to fit one's purpose."

"**Then let's fashion reality, shall we."**

Hell's current tangle is due to recent events. The aftermath of the Sin War and Dark Exile left Diablo, Baal, and Mephisto in the void of the Abyss, with Lilith exiled for her spiteful Purge. The campaign against her children induced profound effects. A mother's love, even one born in the ashes of Hell, is unconditional. Her union with Inarius arose from her father's harm. Interesting how even Hell's denizens suffer emotional trauma from parental abuse, which then careened full circle in her own role as parent. A shrink could work wonders tending the fetishes and phobias affecting demons. Hell adds a unique aspect to the notion of nature versus nurture. And if Lilith wasn't already beset with issues, along comes Belial with the express intent of confounding her more.

"So you're Lilith. I've heard much about you, though I've never had the pleasure."

"**If it's pleasure you seek, you've come to the wrong place."**

"Considering the circumstances it was deemed a proper greeting."

"**Save the protocol for someone who appreciates it. All I appreciate is results."**

"Azmodan wholeheartedly agrees, which prompted this meeting."

"**Many things prompted this meeting, none of them good. To say my frustration burns would define my psyche."**

"I understand your frustration. I'm here because we share it. Our plan is to put all that to rest."

"**While we agree in principle, specifics is another matter. I have goals in mind and couldn't care less about Hellish intrigue."**

"You are a woman who speaks her mind without fear of affront. Yet diplomacy is useful as well."

"**Diplomatic demons. What a perverse concept."**

"Perverse perhaps, though equally employed by one's enemies. It's never wise to accede any advantage regardless of tactics."

"**The only tactics our circle understands is force."**

"But where did that get you. Banished for the Purge by your former lover and father of your children. A simple divorce would have sufficed."

"**Sarcasm will not procure my support. You'd do well to learn that now."**

"My intent was not to infuriate but elucidate. Force has its use, however everyone has the same ability. What is needed is something more."

"**And that something is the Worldstone."**

"You most of all know its potential. It must have been wondrous deploying it."

"**Strange word for a demon to use."**

"I'm not your typical demon. Despite my station, my interests lie beyond destruction. At times creation is critical, and I have no problem employing what's appropriate."

"**Your reputation revolves around that precept, though some think that makes you the least trustworthy of all."**

"None of us partake in the commerce of trust. This is where my reputation paints an exaggerated picture."

"**So you're simply misunderstood. Perhaps your humility is a delusion itself."**

"You give me too much credit. I don't presume for a minute to trick you."

"**You best not. I'm not without tricks myself. I'm just less blatant about it."**

"The best trick always is the one unforeseen."

"**Spoken like a true master of deceit. Is that from chapter one in the Book of Illusion?"**

"While I enjoy talking shop, I would never disclose professional secrets. An edge lost is never regained. Why level the playing field."

"**But the field shifts continually. That's an inherent truth in Hell and one of its unique attributes."**

"You consider that useful?"

"**By demanding constant attention to the details by the players involved. It keeps one sharp."**

"From an intellectual angle perhaps, still we are creatures of passion. You especially know this."

"**A lesson learned, however late, is still constructive. I will not make the same mistake twice."**

"Yet you remain driven by vengeance. Hardly a detached perspective."

"**Do not concern yourself with my outlook. You have plenty else to occupy your mind."**

"Indeed, though a clear head is vital to attaining any goal."

"**Like restoring the Worldstone."**

"Fantastic no doubt, yet the thought alone exhilarates. Do you think us foolish?"

"**Only ones trained in the art of alchemy can answer."**

"Quite the fascinating discipline, and the reason I'm here. Can you put us in contact with the ones we seek?"

"**If it suits my purpose."**

"Which is what exactly? All we know is it centers on Mephisto."

"**What do you know of my father's plans?"**

"Only that he is working on an escape as we speak."

"**Is this possible?"**

"With the use of magic, yes. The Abyss is an arcane realm, but the laws of magic still apply. It simply takes more imagination."

"**Those purveyors too reside in Sanctuary. How coincidental our goals converge at the same site."**

"Are you implying something?"

"**I'm merely acknowledging the oddity of the situation. Don't be so quick to offend. When I'm on the attack, you'll know. Implication is not in my arsenal."**

"Then forgive the inference taken, though a defensive posture does not preclude offensive intent."

"**Your misgiving stems from your methods. When one deals in façade, they instinctively question the integrity of others. You perceive gain to be at the expense of another, yet my fixation works in **_**your**_** favor. My father is still furious over your past rebellion."**

"We're aware of the players and the side they support. In this game no scorecard is needed, though the update is noted. Your goal indeed works in our favor, just the means of effecting it differ. While we desire to engage particular skills, you wish to deter them."

"**How reliable is your intel?"**

"You're not the only one preoccupied with him. We know of his umbrage and keep a steady watch over the Abyss. Unfortunately no confinement will hold for long."

"**In that regard a thought occurs, one with a promising twist. If magic can be used to release my father….."**

"It can also be used to detain him."

"**So it appears a trip to Sanctuary is vital for both our purposes."**

"Most certainly."

"**I require secret passage for I'm an outcast, an ironic position considering I created the damn place."**

"None of us head the welcome list, though worry not. We have an underground network established. Our arrival is assured."

"**When can you be ready?"**

"At once."

"**Then there we shall go."**

The Mage Clan Wars was a time of great upheaval in Sanctuary. Its genesis started years before with the emergence of two divergent philosophies, faith and mysticism. The former believed in a divine power which one invoked for guidance. The latter believed in science, deeming the individual the ultimate determinant of their fate. It was this group that birthed the mage clans. Their members were practitioners of magic and alchemy, whose influence grew steadily until conflict arose between them. That conflict provoked the formation of a governing body to settle disputes, thus the Mage Council was born. Of current relevance was the mages' aptitude of controling demons, which brought Sanctuary's existence to Hell's attention. Barring that we would not be here today, with Belial arriving in Sanctuary incognito enlisting the aid of an alchemist.

"**Are you Zed?"**

"You have me at a disadvantage sir."

"**My name is unimportant. What is important is my purpose."**

"I see. Anonymity is customary in my dealings naturally, but I still like to maintain decorum."

"**Understood, but unnecessary to the business at hand. I've travelled far for your service and time is short. Let us get to the point."**

"Proceed."

"**Your skill in alchemy is renowned and brought you to my notice. I have need of that skill."**

"I aspire to live up to that renown."

"**There is an object, an object of obscene power, that was shattered into countless pieces. This object has incalculable worth and could provide benefit for eons to come. I seek to restore this object."**

"And who would derive this benefit?"

"**Does it matter? Is it not enough that benefit will occur?"**

"Benefit is in the eye of the beholder, which for most is self serving."

"**Yet does not preclude good for others."**

"Good and bad is further debate. We could be here all day contesting this, but that's not the reason you're here."

"**Why would an alchemist be concerned with ethics anyway?"**

"We all have self interests, and mine currently is staying out of the watchful eye of the Mage Council. Things are no longer as before. Free reign is over."

"**You need not worry about me. Discretion is my creed which serves us both."**

"Yet I am already worried about you, for you are not as you appear to be."

"**What are you implying?"**

"Do you think me a fool? Do you think your meager attempt at disguise masks your true identity?"

"**My guise was deemed prudent, and you'd be prudent to curb your impish tongue."**

"I've encountered your kind before, more times than I care to recall. You emit an odor that overrides any attempt at concealment. You took a big risk just coming here."

"**The object I seek demands it."**

"You seek the Worldstone."

"**With my heart and soul, if I had one."**

"You're not the first to request my aid in this regard. The list is long."

"**Of that I have little doubt, yet here you stand, which means you refused recruitment."**

"The reasons for my disinterest were many. Suffice to say I declined."

"**Will you decline me?"**

"I've yet to decide."

"**What would be the determining factor?"**

"Whether I have any trust in you whatsoever."

"**Don't be so quick to cast aspersions. It was your people who first exploited us."**

"Apparently trust is a quality lacking on both sides."

"**Then let's forgo the recriminations and get back on point. What are the odds of my success?"**

"I cannot say with certainty. Theoretically the Worldstone can be reformed. In reality problems arise. The biggest obstacle is the Dreadlands."

"**I've heard its vileness rivals Hell."**

"No one who has ventured there has ever returned."

"**While it would be unwise to ignore admonitions, they will not deter my going there."**

"If you go, you go alone. My life retains more value than fanciful dreams."

"**Then what good are you? I'm wasting my time."**

"Don't be so quick to enrage. My worth is inestimable. You will not succeed without it."

"**Then exhibit your worth by not expounding in theories. I need particulars."**

"To accomplish your goal requires succeeding steps. You need to locate every piece before bonding can occur. That requires a particle sensor attuned to the stone. You must first go to the Dreadlands and return with a sample. Once done, the sensor is calibrated and locating the rest will happen quickly."

"**Do you have this sensor?"**

"No, but one can be made available on request."

"**We must work in secrecy. No one can know our plans."**

"This is just my office. My lab is void of prying eyes."

"**So you've agreed to help. Why? What's in it for you?"**

"Redemption. I suffered censure at the hands of the Council and have not forgotten or forgiven. You see, I also will receive _benefit_ from the Worldstone."

"**Call it what you like, but it still sounds like vengeance, and that's a motive I understand."**

"Regardless of motive, we both seek the same end."

"**For me it is just the beginning, the beginning of a new world order."**

"The whims of others is not my concern. I'll leave world building to you."

"**As you wish, but let's make one thing perfectly clear. My desire is **_**indeed **_**not**__**your concern, and you'll be wise to remember that very fact."**

"Understood."

"**I shall leave immediately."**

"Then good luck in the Dreadlands. You'll need it."

The trek to the Dreadlands is an arduous affair. Its terrain alone presents myriad problems. Besides severe elevation changes, physical impediments abound making its negotiation a challenge, and that's not factoring perils of the sentient kind. The area is plagued by creatures which assail through flying, galloping, crawling, and slithering. Most are unseen till right atop you, though all are heard from afar. Raucous, shrieking, piercing wails of despair and fury fill the air, eliciting the desired effect, fear. Putrid smells induce gags, a foul atmosphere stings the eyes. Insects bite, plants scrape, branches tear, all conspiring toward a desolate environment. Most sane beings would quickly turn and run away. Of course Belial is not most beings. For him the Dreadlands is common ground, but what would one expect from a demon from Hell. Conversely something _unexpected_ appears in Belial's sight, the company of Lilith.

"What are you doing here?"

"**Maintaining a presence, one of the many ploys I gleaned from my father. He was certainly an ass, but you could not fail to learn something simply by observing him."**

"That doesn't answer my question. You expressed no interest in the Worldstone before, so why venture to this devil forsaken place now?"

"**This is not virgin territory for me. I've been here before. Horrid this time of year, isn't it."**

"Your poor attempt at humor not only failed to amuse, but did not disrupt my thought. Are you intentionally being obtuse?"

"**Belial, you of all demons know the value of misdirection."**

"Interesting word choice after consulting a magician. Did he teach you any other tricks?"

"**She, and we had a great time together. Female bonding, asking how the kids were. That was a rough one. As for tricks, that involved bonding too."**

"I don't like the sound of this."

"**Oh come now. You can take a joke, can't you. You're certainly fond of fooling others."**

"What the hell you getting at?"

"**Let's just say your acting chops need work. In your defense you were miscast in the leading role. Azmodan should have played the part. Besides he's better looking."**

"How dare you insult me thus!"

"**How dare you deceive me with intimations of my father's return! Do you think I'm absent my own network?"**

"We needed information that only you could supply. Why are you so mad anyway. You said yourself you have no interest in Hellish intrigue."

"**Intrigue no, but I never said I had no interest in the Worldstone."**

"This is a strange twist."

"**The Worldstone is the answer to all **_**my **_**problems also."**

"What good what it do you if you're not able to restore it."

"**I'm not? Look around. What do you see?"**

"I see sand, rocks, filth, decay."

"**Aren't you forgetting something?"**

"Get to the goddamn point!"

"**Let me rephrase the question then. What **_**don't **_**you see?"**

"…Pieces of the Worldstone!"

"**Give the demon a prize. A consolation prize unfortunately, because he's going home a loser."**

"You have it!"

"**Alchemy is not the only way to reform the stone. Magic works as well."**

"You tricked me all along!"

"**Shoe's on the other hoof, huh? I've been trying to get here for quite some time but didn't have the means…until you came along and set everything in motion."**

"Where is it?"

"**That's neither here nor there, literally. When I'm ready to make my move, you'll know."**

"We can work this out."

"**Too late for that, but who knows. If you would have been upfront in the first place. But that's simply not in your nature."**

"You haven't seen the last of us!"

"**I'm counting on it."**

What lies ahead no one knows, but for one exiled and embittered demoness, the time is right to address past wrongs. Who will be her victims of ire will create sleepness nights for those concerned. The game has changed. One scorned daughter is back with a vengeance, while two aspiring yet thoroughly frustrated demons are firmly back to square one. Regardless of results it was worth the risk, with more maneuvers still to come. Some gambits fail but were useful anyway. How else does one discover their strengths, and alas their weaknesses. For Belial and Azmodan, the fight's not over by a long shot.


End file.
